Helping the poor?

How can you help the poor? After these past several days watching a couple of documentaries (“Adopt a Jesus” and another one about “stuff” we waste) and being part of a community panel on “Welcoming Newcomers”, I’ve felt the need to now “take action”! Especially after tonight (Wednesday, November 4th of 2009-every Wednesdays at the Morris Elementary School-Community Ed in Morris, Minnesota) when I chatted with one of my GED students on the “need” of a “Community-type Soup Kitchen” to feed the “poor”. This particular student (single-parent mom) shared her emotional story with me how she was in a season of “survival”. By “God’s grace” she was able to get through it with her family; however, she feels that our community “needs” to come-up with some type of service in “feeding the poor”. With frustration in her voice, she suggested that local restaurants should keep their “leftovers” instead of throwing it. They can use this and donate it to feed the “hungry” in our community..

Jonathan Bloom: Wasted Food

I told her, I thought we really don’t have such a big problem in “rural-town” like Morris. Then she told me “no way”, there are many people who are struggling. I personally feel it “might” get worse with our current and predicted future economic situation, so “we” (as a local community and elsewhere) need to be prepared!

4 thoughts on “Helping the poor?”

I agree that this is an extremely important issue to address directly in the rural town of Morris. It breaks my heart that there are people right in our own town hungry while my cupboards are brimming with food. Count me in to help with this issue, as much as I can, considering other committments.
Would restaurants be willing to donate left over food? What is the process for creating a process as such?
Thanks, Brynn

Thanks for replying! I’ve contacted many individuals around the community and still waiting on more responses. I’ll keep you on my list and I’ll definitely get back to you. I’m trying to build a network of interested individuals, so I’ll keep in touch. Till then, feel free to keep sharing with others of this growing issue…Also, you and others are always welcome to “check out” our GED-ESL classes (every Wednesday evenings @6-9pm at the Morris Elementary School) to teach students-particularly the GED students in “equipping them” to help them get “good jobs”!

Homelessness on the rise in rural areas
Families also hit hard in crisis that defies ‘street people’ stereotype
By Alexi Mostrous
Washington Post
Updated: 08/21/2009 03:26:28 PM CDT“..Although the number of homeless individuals remained relatively stable from 2007 to 2008, the number of homeless families rose 9 percent, and in rural and suburban areas the number jumped by 56 percent, according to a report released last week by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. …Some case studies collected by the department’s Homelessness Pulse Project suggest that rural and suburban areas were particularly ill-equipped to cope with the new wave of homeless. And many of the states that experienced the largest increases in homelessness are predominately rural. ..”

I happen to know a lot of friends here at the University who are very environmentally concerned. I have talked to a small group of unique people who go dumpster-diving at grocery stores because there is an unbelievable amount of perfectly good food thrown out that has reached it’s expiration date. Most food is still perfectly good at and a time after expiration. When certain quantities of food are close to their expiration date, if the grocery stores doesn’t want to mark them down, or just plain still isn’t able to sell them in time, would they be willing to give the items that are just a few days from expiring to someone (maybe we could set that up) that would be then able to quickly distribute the food to local families in need. It would be a way for the grocery store to quickly get out items that are close to expiration so that they could still be used by families who are in times of trouble. Maybe that idea could somehow be put into practice, too!
Good luck and thank you for your loving concern of every neighbor in Morris!
Christine Hoffman

Thanks for that informative comment. I’m not surprise of “dumpster-divers” as I’ve met one many years ago, but for other “stuff’. I would love to get a group to help gather some “unused” food, which I can “try” to talk to some businesses in the area. If you can get a group and let me know, I’ll then arrange some contacts in the area to do this. Thanks! We each are all doing our part in this commUNITY..you keep up the good work yourself!